Written Answers Tuesday 22 January 2008

Scottish Executive

Alcohol Misuse

James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific action will be taken in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area to raise alcohol awareness.

Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally although some of the activity being carried out by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to raise alcohol awareness is included in the Corporate Action Plan which can be accessed via the following link:

  http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/dat/cap/2007_08/Greater%20Glasgow%20and%20Clyde%20.pdf.

  The Greater Glasgow Alcohol Action Team took part in Scotland’s first ever Alcohol Awareness Week in October 2007.

  Draft Budget proposals include an £85 million boost over three years to increase access across Scotland to early intervention and treatment for people with alcohol problems.

  For further details you may wish to contact the health board directly.

Alcohol Misuse

James Kelly (Glasgow Rutherglen) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what specific action will be taken in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde area to tackle increasing rates of cirrhosis.

Shona Robison: This information is not held centrally. You may wish to contact the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde directly for a response to this question.

  Draft Budget proposals include an £85 million boost over three years to increase access across Scotland to early intervention and treatment for people with alcohol problems.

Antisocial Behaviour

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) were issued in Grampian as a result of vandalism-related incidents during (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07 and (e) 2007-08.

Fergus Ewing: Although the Scottish Government collects data on the number of ASBOs granted in each local authority area, it does not collect data on the nature of the misconduct that prompted the ASBO. This information is not held centrally.

Antisocial Behaviour

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many antisocial behaviour orders were issued in Aberdeen city during (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2006-07 and (e) 2007-08.

Fergus Ewing: According to research on the use of civil antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs) undertaken by DTZ Pieda and Heriot-Watt University, 13 ASBOs were issued in Aberdeen City in 2003-04, 14 in 2004-05 and 11 in 2005-06.

  Since this research has now reported, figures on the use of ASBOs for subsequent years are obtained directly from Aberdeen City. According to their records there were 14 ASBOs issued in 2006-07 and 21 issued from April to September 2007.

  These figures include interim ASBOs that were later granted as full ASBOs (as well as those that were still in force as interim ASBOs at the end of the reporting period).

Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005

John Lamont (Roxburgh and Berwickshire) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it will take to address the issue of trustee remuneration and the provision of trustee indemnity insurance under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Executive is currently considering the most appropriate action in relation to the restrictions placed on the provision of trustee indemnity insurance under the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.

  I am clear that the restrictions placed on the provision of indemnity insurance were an unintended consequence of the legislation. I have discussed the issue with the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and am sympathetic to the proportionate approach they have adopted in relation to the matter.

Children with Disabilities

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by the Minister for Community Safety, in respect of the provision of £34 million for disabled children, that the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning was "considering the matter carefully" ( Official Report , c.3846-7), whether it will provide an update on the progress made by the Cabinet Secretary on the matter.

Adam Ingram: Consistent with the concordat with local government and in order to reduce bureaucracy and improve local flexibility, resources flowing as consequentials from the May 2007 announcement of £340 million to support disabled children in England have been rolled into the main Scottish local government settlement and will not be ring-fenced. On this and a range of other issues relating to support for families with disabled children, ministers continue to engage with disability organisations and the "For Scotland’s Disabled Children" coalition.

Education

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether single outcome agreements with local authorities will set targets for each local authority to extend the amount of school budgets devolved to schools.

John Swinney: Under the terms of the concordat, local authorities will help deliver on progress towards a range of national outcomes and associated national indicators and targets, some of which relate to education. single outcome agreements will be based on the agreed set of national outcomes and indicators and targets to which local authorities will be held accountable. We will also be working with local government to develop a new Performance Management System to replace the myriad of systems currently in operation.

Education

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether single outcome agreements with local authorities will set targets for each local authority with regard to improving the attainment levels of pupils.

John Swinney: Raising attainment is an important part of school improvement. However, we have concerns from previous experience that narrow attainment-based targets can encourage teaching to the test and can narrow the curriculum. Teaching and assessment should focus on supporting pupils’ learning and should not be driven by performance targets.

  Local indicators which, alongside the published national indicators, will form the basis of individual single outcome agreements for each local authority are currently being developed. It is too early in this process to comment on the focus of specific indicators, but we look forward to working with authorities to ensure that performance information in single outcome agreements is of a high quality and supports good learning and teaching.

Education

Rhona Brankin (Midlothian) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what total amount was allocated to the Schools Fund in each year from 2003 to 2007 and what percentage of the budget for children and young people this represented.

Fiona Hyslop: Whilst local government had flexibility to allocate other resources for work on the school estate, the specific amounts allocated to local government for the Schools Fund from 2003 to 2007 were as follows:

  2003-04: £36.7 million

  2004-05: £76.7 million

  2005-06: £96.7 million

  2006-07: £151.35 million.

  Some spending on children and young people will have been subsumed within budgets that covered services to people of all ages - e.g. community health – and as such, it is not possible to identify the total budget for children and young people over this period. It is not therefore possible to present this as a percentage of the budget for children and young people.

Elections

Keith Brown (Ochil) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide a breakdown of how much it spent on the 2003 (a) Scottish Parliament and (b) local government elections.

Bruce Crawford: The main expenditure on the Scottish Parliament elections was by the Scotland Office and on the local elections by local authorities. Detailed information on those costs is not held centrally. The Scottish Government spent just over £384,200 in total in 2003 in connection with the Scottish Parliament and local government elections. Of this, £371,600 was spent on a publicity campaign for both elections (carried out jointly with the Electoral Commission) with the balance spent on opinion research and research on media coverage specific to local authority elections.

First Minister

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans the First Minister has to visit East Ayrshire.

Bruce Crawford: The First Minister currently has plans to visit East Ayrshire on 23 January 2008.

First Minister

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans the First Minister has to visit the Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley parliamentary constituency.

Bruce Crawford: The First Minister currently has no plans to visit Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley parliamentary constituency.

First Minister

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many times and on what dates since May 2007 the First Minister has stayed overnight at the Marcliffe of Pitfodels Hotel in Aberdeen in his official capacity.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much it paid for the First Minister’s overnight stays at the Marcliffe of Pitfodels Hotel in Aberdeen from May to December 2007 inclusive.

John Swinney: The First Minister has not stayed overnight in the Marcliffe of Pitfodels Hotel in Aberdeen in his official capacity since May 2007.

Fisheries

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it will use specifically to reduce the mortality in cod stocks in 2008.

Richard Lochhead: Under our Conservation Credits scheme, fishermen will be rewarded with extra days at sea in return for measures designed to reduce cod mortality in the Scottish fleet.

  These measures will be worked up by the Conservation Credit Steering Group. They will include real time closures of cod spawning areas and in respect of juvenile cod and moves towards more selective gear for both nephrops and whitefish fleets.

Flood Prevention

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to support investment in improved radar coverage to assist in the prediction of serious potential flooding events in the Highlands and Islands parliamentary region.

Michael Russell: Investment to provide or improve weather radar coverage is the responsibility of the Met Office, an agency of the Ministry of Defence, not the Scottish Government.

  The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) provide a comprehensive flood prediction and warning system in Scotland. In doing so they use Met Office data together with their own data on river and rainfall, to predict and warn of potential flooding from rivers in Scotland. SEPA pay the Met Office for the provision of additional weather services including weather radar data.

Flood Prevention

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive which agencies are responsible for making investments to secure radar coverage for the purpose of assisting in the prediction of serious potential flooding events and what role it considers it has in supporting any such investments.

Michael Russell: Investment to provide weather radar coverage is the responsibility of the Met Office, an agency of the Ministry of Defence, not the Scottish Government. However, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) pay the Met Office for the provision of additional weather services including weather radar data. SEPA uses Met Office data together with their own data on river and rainfall to predict and warn of potential flooding from rivers in Scotland. The Scottish Government provides resources to its agencies to support their functions.

Flood Prevention

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether single outcome agreements with local authorities will include provision for those local authorities in flood-prone areas to secure and make investments in the provision of appropriate radar cover for their areas to assist in predicting serious potential flooding events.

Michael Russell: The single outcome agreements will cover the services delivered by local authorities. These do not include weather information, which is supplied by the Met Office, or flood warnings, which are the responsibility of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Health

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it has taken to ensure that all individuals in receipt of medical care, particularly those with visual impairments, are fully informed about such care in a suitable and timely manner.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Fair for All-Disability project was established in 2005 as a partnership with the Disability Rights Commission to support the NHS in Scotland to understand Part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act (access to goods, services and facilities) and take action to remove barriers disabled people face in accessing health services.

  Further information on the work undertaken so far and guidance issued by Fair for All-Disability is available on the Fair for All website at http://www.healthscotland.com/about/FairForAll/index.aspx.

  From 1 April 2008, Fair for All-Disability will sit within the new Equality and Planning Directorate of NHS Health Scotland.

Health

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider establishing a working party to investigate how best to ensure that individuals with severe vision impairment who are in receipt of medical care are provided with essential information relating to such care in a timely manner and suitably accessible format.

Nicola Sturgeon: There are currently no plans to establish a working party.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-8249 on 22 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at Questions & Answers Search.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to help prevent aneurysms.

Shona Robison: There are a number of risk factors associated with aneurysms, including smoking and raised blood pressure. All health improvement measures which encourage smoking cessation and reducing raised blood pressure will reduce the risk of an aneurysm. In addition, we are considering introduction of a screening programme for abdominal aortic aneurysm following the advice of the UK National Screening Committee.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of stroke victims have access to a CT or MRI scan within (a) three and (b) 24 hours, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The data requested is not held centrally in the form requested.

  The latest Scottish Stroke Care Audit monitors performance against the NHS Quality Improvement Scotland clinical standards for stroke. Its national report includes data describing the quality of stroke care in each acute hospital grouped by NHS board during 2005 and 2006. These show that 15 out of 21 hospitals and 12 out of 14 boards now meet the standard of "80% of patients having a CT or MRI scan within 48 hours of admission". The report also found that 79% of all Scottish stroke patients received a brain scan within 48 hours of admission, an improvement of 5% on 2004.

Inquiries (Scotland) Rules 2007

Nigel Don (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Inquiries (Scotland) Rules 2007 which came into force on 19 January 2008 apply to the public inquiry into the explosion on 11 May 2004 at the factory in Glasgow occupied by the ICL group of companies.

Kenny MacAskill: Yes, we announced our intention to set up this inquiry on 1 October 2007. Lord Gill, the Lord Justice Clerk, was formally appointed as chair on 21 January 2008 and the inquiry has been set up from that date. There will be no other appointments to the inquiry panel.

  The inquiry is a joint inquiry but as it is taking place in Scotland it is appropriate that the Scottish rules should apply.

  The agreed terms of reference for the inquiry are:

  To inquire into the circumstances leading up to the incident on 11 May 2004 at the premises occupied by the ICL group of companies, Grovepark Mills, Maryhill, Glasgow.

  To consider the safety and related issues arising from such an inquiry, including the regulation of the activities at Grovepark Mills.

  To make recommendations in the light of the lessons identified from the causation and circumstances leading up to the incident.

  To report as soon as practicable.

Justice

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what evidence there is to support claims that Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrents affect only young people under the age of 20.

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrents affect all young people under the age of 20.

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies have been undertaken to evaluate the safety of Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrents.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government has not undertaken any research into the effect of the Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrent device or reviewed the publicly available evidence.

Justice

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to regulate the use of Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrents.

Fergus Ewing: The Scottish Government has no plans to regulate the use of Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrents.

Justice

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrents are in use in Scotland, also broken down by local authority area.

Fergus Ewing: The information requested is not held centrally.

Justice

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who is responsible for the deployment and licensing of Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrents.

Fergus Ewing: The responsibility for the deployment and licensing of Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrents lies with local agencies and others who choose to use them.

Justice

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the use of Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrents contravenes discrimination or human rights legislation.

Fergus Ewing: It is the responsibility of those using such devices to ensure that they comply with discrimination and human rights legislation. The Scottish Government has not undertaken any such assessment.

Justice

Bill Kidd (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how it will address concerns in respect of the effect of Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrents on young people with disabilities, autism or visual impairments.

Fergus Ewing: It is the responsibility of companies producing and selling such devices and those using them to address concerns in respect of the effect of Mosquito ultrasonic youth deterrents on young people with disabilities, autism or visual impairments.

Livestock

Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it would prefer to see an export trade in carcases rather than live animals.

Richard Lochhead: Yes, we would prefer to see a trade in meat rather than live exports. This avoids long distance travel of live animals whilst ensuring better returns across the industry from added value product. However, we cannot place a unilateral ban on the export of live animals as this would be illegal under EU law.

Livestock

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to make Scotland a Maedi Visna accredited area.

Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Executive has no plans to make Scotland a Maedi Visna accredited area.

Ministerial Communication

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it ceased to record telephone calls between ministers, civil servants and special advisers about matters of substance.

John Swinney: There has never been a corporate policy in the Scottish Government advising staff that a formal minute must be produced for particular telephone calls.

Ministerial Communication

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether telephone calls placed from private offices are listed by extension number.

John Swinney: Yes.

Ministerial Transport

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many official journeys have been made by each minister using public transport since May 2007.

John Swinney: The information requested is listed below.

  

Minister
Air
Rail
Ferry
Bus
Taxi


Alex Salmond
5(R) 11(S)
0
0
0
0


Nicola Sturgeon
6(R)
0
0
0
5


John Swinney
6(R) 1(S)
2(S)
0
0
4


Fiona Hyslop
2(R)
1(S)
0
0
0


Kenny MacAskill
2(R)
2(R)
0
0
7


Richard Lochhead
7(R) 1(S)
4(S)
0
0
5


Bruce Crawford
0
0
0
0
10


Linda Fabiani
10(R)
2(R) 2(S)
0
0
11


Shona Robison
1(R) 2(S)
0
0
0
0


Stewart Maxwell
4(R)
0
0
0
2


Jim Mather
2(R)
4(S)
0
0
2


Stewart Stevenson
1(R) 2(S)
3(R) 5(S)
0
4
12


Maureen Watt
3(S)
8(S)
0
0
11


Adam Ingram
0
2(R)
0
0
1


Fergus Ewing
0
0
0
0
1


Michael Russell
2(R) 4(S)
0
6(S)
0
4


Elish Angiolini
8(R)
1(R)
0
0
0


Frank Mulholland
3(R)
1(R)
0
0
1


Total
58(R) 21(S)
29(R) 7(S)
6(S)
4
76

People with Disabilities

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to ensure that wheelchairs are provided to meet the medical, postural and social needs of users in as short a time as possible.

Shona Robison: Since 2005 the Scottish Government has provided almost £3 million in additional interim funding to improve NHS wheelchair waiting times. The funding has been used to purchase additional wheelchairs and to employ additional staff in the five rehabilitation centres in Scotland. It is planned to spend a total of £16 million over the next three financial years (2008-09 to 2011-12) to modernise NHS wheelchair and seating services.

  Following the independent review of NHS wheelchair and seating services, a project board has been established and a project manager has been appointed. The project team will assess, prioritise and implement the recommendations of the review, including those recommendations that relate to the provision of wheelchairs that meet users’ medical, postural and social needs.

  I refer the member to the answers to questions S3W-7723 and S3W-7724 on 16 January 2008. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at Questions & Answers Search.

Planning

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many telephone calls from backbench MSPs the Chief Planner has received since May 2007 asking for meetings to be arranged with developers.

John Swinney: The Chief Planner regularly receives telephone calls from MSPs about planning matters. Information about the number of calls is not held by the Scottish Government because a formal record is not routinely produced for every call received, as many involve simply the provision of factual information to MSPs about planning processes. The Chief Planner has given information to the Local Government and Communities Committee on a range of contacts he has had with MSPs. The official report is available on the Parliament’s website at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/s3/committees/lgc/or-08/lg08-0102.htm#Col425.

Planning

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many backbench MSPs have had meetings arranged for developers with the Chief Planner 24 hours after making telephone contact since May 2007.

John Swinney: Information in the form requested is not held by the Scottish Government.

Planning

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Planner has ever held meetings with developers after a planning application had been called in since May 2007.

John Swinney: No.

Planning

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive in what circumstances it would consider intervening in a planning decision once it has been taken by a local authority.

John Swinney: Scottish ministers have a general power, under section 46 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997, to intervene by calling in any planning application for their own determination – but only prior to a written decision notice being issued by the planning authority. There are no set criteria for the circumstances in which Scottish ministers will call in planning applications, but some general guidance is published in paragraphs 24-27 of Scottish Executive Planning Circular 5/2007 , which is available on the Scottish Government website at: www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/04/30162614/0 .

Public Private Partnerships

John Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much is being allocated under the spending review to service repayment schemes for PFI/PPP contracts established since 1999.

John Swinney: Specific amounts to repay PFI/PPP contracts form part of broader allocations in the spending review for public services and investment. For example, in the case of local authorities, as agreed through the Concordat, the local government settlement is now all-embracing and individual project costs are not ring-fenced.

  Public bodies which have entered into PFI/PPP contracts are responsible for payments to their private sector partners from within the total resources available to them. The total amount of unitary charges for PPP projects that are either operational or reached financial close to date for the spending review years (2008-09 to 2010-11) is £2.0 billion covering 80 projects. Unitary charges are the amounts paid by the public sector procuring body to the private sector consortium for the services it provides over the length of the contract.

Referendum (Scotland) Bill

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-7680 by Nicola Sturgeon on 9 January 2008, whether the specific legislation published at public expense in Annex B to the White Paper "Choosing Scotland’s Future" is within the legislative competence of the Parliament.

Nicola Sturgeon: I have nothing to add to my answers to questions S3W-7680 and S3W-7681 on 9 January 2008.

Scottish Futures Trust

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much public funding will be allocated to the Scottish Futures Trust in each of the next three financial years.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much private investment it expects to generate for the Scottish Futures Trust in each of the next three financial years.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it expects to generate from commercial banks for the Scottish Futures Trust in each of the next three financial years.

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of a project funded by the Scottish Futures Trust would be funded by (a) public, (b) private and (c) commercial finance.

John Swinney: The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) initiative is our alternative funding mechanism to the "standard PFI" and will deliver better, more efficient infrastructure for taxpayers. A consultation paper on SFT was launched in December 2007 and this can be accessed at: www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations .

Scottish Futures Trust

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Scottish Futures Trust will be fully operational.

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when funding will be available for Fife Council through the Scottish Futures Trust.

John Swinney: The Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) is our alternative funding mechanism to the "standard PFI" and will deliver better, more efficient infrastructure for taxpayers. A consultation paper on SFT was launched in December 2007 and this can be accessed at: www.scotland.gov.uk/consultations .

  Work on the development of SFT is continuing and making good progress.

Scottish Government Expenditure

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there were any outstanding bills to be paid by it to the Marcliffe of Pitfodels Hotel in Aberdeen as at 31 December 2007.

John Swinney: No.

Single Outcome Agreements

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what sanctions will be placed on local authorities that fail to achieve the targets set in their single outcome agreements.

John Swinney: The single outcome agreements will contain measures and a mechanism for addressing under performance. These measures and mechanism will be determined by the group overseeing the process towards the implementation of the single outcome agreements.

Transport

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will report on its findings in respect of the contents of the Nestrans transport strategy.

John Swinney: Scottish ministers will consider the Nestrans regional transport strategy following receipt of a revised draft requested recently.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the dates and times of all contacts and communications between the Chief Planner’s office and Aberdeenshire Council between 29 November and 5 December 2007, broken down into those (a) specifically requested and (b) not specifically requested by ministers.

John Swinney: Planning Directorate officials keep in regular contact with Aberdeenshire Council officials over a range of planning matters. A formal record of every telephone call is not kept. Planning officials were in contact with Aberdeenshire Council on a number of occasions between those dates concerning the planning application for the Menie Estate in Aberdeenshire. I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-7699 on 20 December 2007, which recorded the details of three such telephone calls. On 4 December 2007 planning officials wrote to Aberdeenshire Council to advise of Scottish ministers’ decision to call in that planning application. At no point did ministers request that planning officials contact Aberdeenshire Council.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at Questions & Answers Search.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the dates and times of all contacts and communications between the Chief Planner’s office and the Trump Organization between 29 November and 5 December 2007, broken down into those (a) specifically requested and (b) not specifically requested by ministers.

John Swinney: On 3 December 2007 the Trump Organization contacted the Chief Planner to arrange a meeting. This meeting took place on 4 December at 2.20pm. The note of the meeting is available on the Scottish Government website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/About/FOI/Disclosures . Later that day officials were in contact with the Trump Organization by e-mail. None of these contacts were specifically requested by ministers.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the dates and times of all contacts and communications between the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth’s office and Aberdeenshire Council between 29 November and 5 December 2007.

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the dates and times of all contacts and communications between the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth’s office and the Trump Organization between 29 November and 5 December 2007.

John Swinney: No such contacts took place.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Planner was asked by ministers to telephone Aberdeenshire Council concerning calling in the planning application for the Menie estate, rather than use any other form of communication.

John Swinney: No.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Planner informed the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth of the outcome of the first telephone call which he made to Aberdeenshire Council on 4 December 2007 and, if so, when and what action the Cabinet Secretary took as a result.

John Swinney: Following a telephone discussion with the Chief Planner on 4 December 2007 I agreed to call in the planning application for the proposed golf resort at Menie Estate. During that call the Chief Planner informed me that he had ascertained from Aberdeenshire Council that it was unlikely that the council’s standing orders would allow the planning application to be reconsidered by the council.

Trump Organization Planning Application

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any public money has been budgeted, offered or committed to the proposed Trump development in Aberdeenshire and, if so, what the level is of such investment.

John Swinney: Neither Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International nor the Scottish Government has budgeted, offered or committed any support to this project.

Trump Organization Planning Application

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the funding for the proposed Trump development in Aberdeenshire is to be provided by Mr Trump or his organisation.

John Swinney: This information is not held by the Scottish Government.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether members of the Trump Organization were with the First Minister when he called the Chief Planner on 3 December 2007.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the statement by the First Minister that the MSP for Gordon did not discuss the Trump planning application at his meeting with representatives of the Trump Organization on 3 December 2007 is accurate, given that he placed a call to the Chief Planner about this subject on the same day as the meeting.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-7663 on 20 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at Questions & Answers Search .

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Planner contacted the First Minister on 4 December 2007 about the Trump planning application and, if so, when.

John Swinney: The Chief Planner met representatives of the Trump Organization on 4 December 2007. At the close of the meeting the Chief Planner telephoned Mr Salmond, in his capacity as MSP for Gordon, as a courtesy to say the meeting had taken place and said that all discussion of potential ministerial action would be passed to me in line with proper procedure. The First Minister was not party to the decision to call in the application.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a formal record of the telephone call of 4 December 2007 between the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth and the Chief Planner about the call-in of the Trump planning application.

John Swinney: The phone call was not formally minuted, a record is kept on file showing that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth had agreed to call in the application.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that it was appropriate for the First Minister to attend a press conference in St Andrew’s House in his capacity as First Minister on the issue of the Trump planning application, having been specifically prohibited from commenting on the matter as First Minister.

John Swinney: Yes. The First Minister was discussing the position of the Scottish Government as set out in the answers to 54 parliamentary questions on the matter. As in all his public statements on the issue, the First Minister made no comment that could be interpreted as being for or against the development.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what role the Head of Planning Decisions Division has in relation to any planning application and, in particular, what role he has in relation to the called-in Trump planning application.

John Swinney: Planning Decisions Division’s primary purpose is to consider planning applications and other planning cases notified or referred to Scottish ministers, advising ministers as appropriate. It is the role of the Head of Planning Decisions Division to lead and oversee the work of the whole division. As such in relation to the called in planning application for the Menie Estate, he is responsible for the division’s work in considering the application and advising ministers.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what car journeys were made using the Government Car Service to and from the Marcliffe Hotel on 3 December 2007, showing who the passengers were and the timetable of all movements of the car involved on that day.

John Swinney: The information requested is listed as follows.

  

Time
Pick Up
Via
Drop Off
Passengers


11.45
Strichen
 
Inverurie
Alex Salmond


17.00
Inverurie
Special Adviser’s Home, Aberdeen (Geoff Aberdein dropped off)
Marcliffe Hotel
Alex SalmondGeoff AberdeinHannah Bardell (Constituency Assistant)


18.25
Marcliffe Hotel
 
Strichen
Alex Salmond



  No other journeys were made on this day.

  As a result of the unusual amount of public interest in the First Minister’s travel to this meeting, the Permanent Secretary has considered what use was made of the Government Car Service on this occasion. He has noted that it is commonplace for civil servants, including special advisers, to travel with ministers in government cars, in order to assist ministers to use time spent travelling to progress government business. He is satisfied that the use made of the Government Car Service in this case was consistent with such general practice and was both appropriate and pragmatic.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on who made the request that led to the meeting between the First Minister in his capacity as the MSP for Gordon and the Trump Organization on 3 December 2007 and on when and to whom this request was made.

John Swinney: Mr Salmond undertook this meeting in his capacity as constituency member for Gordon. It is not for the Scottish Government to comment on ministers’ constituency business.

  However, Mr Salmond has made clear in earlier statements that the Trump Organization had called his constituency office on 3 December 2007 to request a meeting, which was held in Aberdeen for convenience, as he was already due to be travelling to Aberdeen to conduct government business with his special adviser and prepare for government business in Aberdeen the next day.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive who made the request that the Chief Planner meet the Trump Organization on 4 December 2007 and when and to whom it was made.

John Swinney: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-7701 on 20 December 2007. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at Questions & Answers Search .

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive why the minute of the meeting between Scottish Government planning officials and the Trump Organization does not record the fact or detail of the telephone call to the Chief Executive of Aberdeenshire Council.

John Swinney: The minute of the meeting records the main points discussed by the participants. It was not necessary to produce a verbatim record.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Permanent Secretary has, together with his consideration of the behaviour of civil servants, considered the behaviour of ministers, including the First Minister, in the handling of the Trump planning application.

John Swinney: The Permanent Secretary has made clear, as part of his consideration of the behaviour of civil servants, that he received an assurance from the Chief Planner that he has, at no time, been instructed by any party to act improperly and that he feels he has applied the same rigour in this particular case, in terms of following due process and having regard to the expected standards of conduct, as he would do in any other planning case.

  Consequently, there would be no reason for the Permanent Secretary to consider the behaviour of any minister in this matter, even if it were not the case that the terms of the Ministerial Code make clear that the Permanent Secretary has no role in making judgements about the behaviour of ministers in relation to the code.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Chief Planner has been placed under any pressure by ministers or MSPs in relation to calling in the Trump planning application.

John Swinney: No.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-7671 by John Swinney on 20 December 2007, whether it will publish the records of telephone calls between the Chief Planner and the First Minister in his capacity as MSP for Gordon and their content.

John Swinney: Information in the form requested is not held by the Scottish Government.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it intends to respond to all freedom of information requests in relation to the Trump planning application.

John Swinney: Freedom of Information responses will be published as soon as possible. Priority has been given to answering parliamentary questions and to supporting relevant appearances at the Local Government and Communities Committee.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth had any conversations about the Trump planning application with the First Minister on 2, 3 or 4 December 2007 prior to the application being called in and, if so, what the timing was of each conversation.

John Swinney: No such discussions took place.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any special adviser has made telephone or email contact with representatives from the Trump Organization since May 2007 and, if so, who.

John Swinney: We are giving consideration to the publication of information under Freedom of Information legislation that relates to this question. I will write to advise when this procedure has been completed.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth had any discussions with the First Minister on 3 December 2007 about the Trump planning application.

John Swinney: I had no such discussions with the First Minister.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when on 4 December 2007 the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth spoke to the First Minister about the Trump planning application.

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when the First Minister first became aware that the Trump planning application was being called in, by what means and from whom.

John Swinney: I informed Mr Salmond after I had made the decision to call in the planning application.

Trump Organization Planning Application

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will outline the advice provided by the Chief Planner and Head of Planning Decisions Division to the First Minister in his capacity as MSP for Gordon on 29 and 30 November 2007.

John Swinney: Officials offered verbal advice to Mr Salmond, at his request, confirming that, as MSP for the constituency where the development was proposed, he was entitled to represent properly the interests of his constituents and to speak to the developer and to any other relevant parties. They confirmed that his constituency interest meant that Mr Salmond was debarred from any potential Scottish ministerial planning decision. They also set out their understanding of the procedural implications of the resolution of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee.